Velveting Chicken Breast, Chinese Restaurant-Style

This velveting chicken is as moist and tender as what's served at the best Chinese restaurants. This is not my technique — I got it online. Don't limit this chicken to just Chinese dishes. Chicken can be stored for a few hours before adding to vegetables and sauce when food is just about done.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 20 mins
• Calories: 156 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 8 cups water
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice vinegar
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring water and oil to a boil in a pot over high heat. Reduce heat to medium.

Step 2

Whisk together egg white, vinegar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Add chicken; mix to coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Pour excess marinade off chicken; cook chicken in boiling water in the pot until white on the outside but still raw in the middle, about 1 minute. Drain.

Step 4

Store par-boiled chicken in the refrigerator in a sealed container until ready to use, up to a few hours.

Step 5

To serve, heat chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).